The Hemi engine family is still in production and is still installed into some new vehicles by Chrysler. These are big and mighty engines that are largely loved by American car buyers. Of course, their best times are gone and now they are certainly living their last years. The third generation of Hemi engines is the last one and later on, we will only see downsized and turbocharged gasoline engines.
But today, I want to talk about a certain thing that bothers a lot of Hemi engine owners – the 5.7L Hemi lifter failure problem.
In short, 5.7 Hemi lifter failure may happen quite often in these engines, the symptoms are engine ticking, low performance, shorter gas mileage, and failure to start. But these symptoms can also report other problems.
In this article, I will outline the following issues:
- What’s Hemi 5.7L lifter failure and why is it bad?
- What are the symptoms of lifter failure in the 5.7 Hemi?
- Can you prevent or avoid Hemi engine lifter failure?
- How long can you drive if you suspect lifter failure in 5.7 Hemi?
- Repair cost and some tips on how to solve the problem.
All you need to know about 5.7 Hemi lifter failure
This has been a problem since 2009 when Chrysler upgraded the 5.7 Hemi engine adding cylinder management, variable valve timing, and some other technologies that made the big engine a little more economical. I also heard the lifters failed before but the problem wasn’t so huge and common.
After 2009, 5.7 Hemi started failing regularly and people had to replace all 16 lifters and also the camshaft. Does seem a bit steep in terms of the budget – it can cost you up to $5,000 to have those things done in the dealership.
I see several bad things in lifter failure in the 5.7 Hemi:
- It doesn’t seem to have any pattern. It just happens with different Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep cars powered by the 5.7L engine (6.4L ones are said to be involved, too).
- It happens really often. Car mechanics agree that they often have to deal with these problems in 5.7 Hemi engines and this is a huge common issue.
- It’s really expensive to repair. In most cases, the camshaft will be affected and it makes the price of parts and labor just unbearable.
- Multiply lifters may fail at a time. You may be checking the lifters and see that several of them have failed which is very unnatural.
- Chrysler doesn’t have the answer for that. There are no bulletins or recalls that would cover this problem. Chrysler doesn’t give any recommendations.
- This is completely inconsistent. While one car owner can drive only 80,000 miles before the lifters fail in the 5.7 Hemi, some other owners can drive 250,000 miles and sell a car with no problems.
So, this is something you should know about this good Chrysler engine. It’s overall really good but it has one flaw that you should be aware of. If not, you will need to pay quite a lot of money for the lack of information.
I’ve researched the problem deeply and can offer you several ways on how you may prevent this from happening in your 5.7 Hemi and how you can recognize the problem in the first place.
Symptoms of 5.7 Hemi lifter failure
Although you will get slightly different symptoms depending on the actual problem and the number of lifters that failed, I managed to compile a list of the most common symptoms.
Here they are:
- engine ticking noise;
- engine tapping;
- engine hissing;
- loss of power;
- bad gas mileage;
- poor performance;
- bad idling RPM;
- hard starting;
- check engine light.
It’s not necessary that all of these symptoms will show up in your case. Even if two or three of them are present in your vehicle, it’s a good reason for checking the engine. When things become worse, the symptoms will multiply and become hard to ignore.
What are the possible reasons for the 5.7 Hemi lifter failure?
Well, I can’t tell you for sure but I spoke to several mechanics and they all support the theory that the lifters in 5.7 Hemi can fail because of poor lubrication. This is not something you can just simply fix – this is the design flaw.
You may ask why then some Hemi engines can easily go 250,000 miles and even much more than that with original lifters. Here, opinions were different but I managed to find a theory that matches all the opinions and seems to me like the most possible issue.
Here’s what happens:
- when you drive your Hemi at 2000 RPM and more, the engine works just fine and is lubricated perfectly;
- but once you drop the RPM to 1400-1600 or even less than that, the quality of lubrication becomes much worse;
- the cam just can’t throw enough oil to the lifters and the lifters work without proper lubrication, they fail pretty fast after such driving;
- another problem is long idling – when idling, the 5.7 Hemi just can’t lubricate the lifters as they need to be lubricated;
- also, the quality and viscosity of oil can be the issue, so you better use OEM oil for this engine.
As you see, the problem is most likely with the lubrication. I personally saw several failed lifters and they all had some scars on their bodies that tells us about poor lubrication. Then, I also saw the construction of the head and saw a tube there right in the place that covers the oil from the lifters. It seems that this tube is the culprit for the lifter failure in the 5.7 Hemi.
This also explains why the 6.1 Hemi is not on the list of engines that are affected by this issue. Its head has completely different engineering and the lifters are well-lubricated.
I won’t be too technical in this article as it’s not written for professional mechanics, but I want to stress one point: long idling will kill your 5.7 Hemi lifters. Your engine should always work at a higher RPM to save it from bad lubrication.
How long can you drive with 5.7 Hemi lifter failure symptoms?
You can drive with this problem directly to the repair shop. If you keep driving for at least several days, chances are that your cam will be killed. The cam in these engines is only lubricated when the RPM is quite high – over 1500 RPM. If you keep idling the engine, the cam will be dry and the failed lifters will obviously destroy it quite fast.
So, you better avoid driving your car powered with the 5.7 Hemi when it has some problems with the lifters. Avoiding driving it will obviously cost you less money in the end.
Can you prevent Hemi lifters from failing?
Well, yes, you can prevent them from failing by developing at least three very important habits that will help you keep the 5.7 Hemi engine healthy at all times and maybe even drive it for 400,000 miles.
Here’s what you should do:
- Use only high-quality oil with the recommended viscosity. You better always choose OEM oil for these engines.
- Check the oil levels regularly. If the oil level is low, chances are that your lifters and cam will not get proper lubrication. Keep the oil level at the MAX mark in the 5.7 Hemi at all times.
- Avoid idling and drive at a higher RPM. Adjust your driving style so that your engine never drives with less than 1500 RPM. If you are going to stop for more than 2-3 minutes, turn the engine off.
Developing these three simple habits will most likely save your engine and let it work for hundreds of thousands of miles.
What adds sense to this theory with low-RPM problems is that police cars very often develop lifter problems with 5.7 and 6.4 Hemi engines. These cars very often idle and this accelerates all the problems with the camshaft and lifters.
How to get rid of the problem?
Unfortunately, there are no DIY methods for replacing the lifters and camshaft. You will obviously need to find a professional mechanic who will take the engine head apart, diagnose the camshaft, and locate the failed lifters.
Actually, I would replace all the lifters if several have already failed. The price of lifters is not huge but the price of labor is really high. So, when the engine already has problems with lifters and cam, you should repair/replace everything to avoid issues. This will eventually cost you cheaper than taking your car in again after several months.
Final thoughts
Although even Chrysler won’t tell you anything about the reasons for the 5.7 Hemi lifter failure, I think this is exactly the poor lubrication. You should just analyze the condition of the failed lifters and you will see that they have scars because they sometimes work dry.
Also, the cam requires very attentive inspection when the lifters fail. Wrongly placed valves can easily injure the camshaft and lead to even more serious problems.
I hope now you will not let your vehicle have bad lifters in the 5.7 Hemi. If you have something to add, please write in the comments below.